Tax Planning For Life

Transcription

1 Tax Planning For Life / ca@maco.co.uk / /

2 Introduction Our annual Tax Planning For Life navigates you through a wide range of tax planning opportunities and wealth planning strategies for all stages and facets of life. The guide is designed to give you ideas on how you can arrange your taxes, investments and wider financial affairs to reduce your own and your family s current and future tax liabilities. With Scotland now having its own set of income tax rates and bands, which marks a significant new stage of tax devolution, there will be additional tax issues that will have to be considered this year. We are here to help, so when you ve worked out your own priorities give us a call and we will arrange a suitable time to meet with you to discuss the tax & wealth planning strategies in more detail. Contents Your Starter for 10 Taxing Questions p3 Individuals & Couples p4 Family p6 Business p8 Property p12 Savings & Investments p16 Your Tax & Wealth Plan (notes & ideas for your planning meeting) p18 UK Tax Rates p19 Your Starter for 10 Taxing Questions If you are over 55, have you received advice about the options available to you for drawing your pension savings? Have you used this year s ISA allowance ( 20,000) and/ or made any other tax efficient investments e.g. EIS, SEISs and VCTs before April 2019? Could you transfer income or assets to your partner, children or grandchildren to minimise higher and additional rate taxation next year and to maximise tax-free savings limits? Business owners: have you considered the amount & timing of dividend and bonus payments this year? Buzz in when you are ready to discuss. Our tax and financial advisers are poised, ready and prepared to receive your challenge! Are you about to make a significant capital purchase for the business have you considered the allowances and grants that may be available to you? Are you investing enough in your pension (or LISA) this year is their room for a top up payment to reduce your tax bill? Property: are you considering whether to hold residential investment property personally or in a company? Incorporation of a property business may well be more attractive for some given that the corporation tax rate is due to fall further in the coming years. Have you considered how you will pass on your estate taking advantage of the reliefs available to reduce your tax bill so that the next generation receive the full benefits you intended? 6 Are you planning to retire, or realise the value from your business, in the next three to five years? If so, you should get to know what options are available to you now, and the potential timeframe, costs and tax impacts for each option, so that you can plan accordingly Have you made any gifts this year, or are you considering setting up a trust to protect your assets to minimise your potential IHT bill? 10 Tax Planning for Life / 3

3 Individuals & Couples Individuals & Couples Let us help you to ensure you don t pay a penny more to HMRC than they are due. Income Tax: UK The personal allowance rises by 3% to 11,850 and the basic rate band increases by the same percentage to 34,500 (outside Scotland), making the higher rate threshold (the sum of the two) 46,350. As income tax is only partially devolved under the Scotland Act 2016, Scottish taxpayers will continue to pay income tax on their savings and dividend income according to the rates and bands set by the UK Parliament. Scottish Rate of Income Tax (SRIT) SRIT is charged on non-savings income i.e. earnings, pensions and rentals - it is not charged on savings or dividends. Five new tax bands were introduced in Scotland from April 2018, ranging from 19% to 46% on incomes over 150,000. The higher rate of income tax will be 41%, not 40% as it is in the rest of the UK, and the threshold at which it starts will be 43,430, which is 2,920 below the rest of the UK. For someone with earnings of 50,000 a year, this will mean an extra tax charge of 824 for being resident north of the border. There will be some who gain and some who lose from these changes, but what is very clear is that the reforms will inevitably lead to further complexity in calculating taxes, especially for those with interests north and south of the border. We are here to help. Allowances & Reliefs The same income tax allowances will apply throughout the UK. See the Tax Rates 2018/19 on the inside back page for a full overview of UK/Scottish tax rates, allowances and reliefs. Your personal allowance of 11,850 in (up from 11,500 in ) is reduced by 1 for every 2 of income over 100,000, which is an effective tax rate of 60%. If you can reduce your income below 100,000 e.g. by making a pension contribution or a charitable gift, or transferring some of your income generating assets, you could benefit from the full allowance. The higher rate threshold also increased this year from 45,000 to 46,350, although in Scotland the latter figure will only apply to savings and dividend income, with the higher rate threshold for Scottish tax payers being 43,430. Tax efficient investing The Enterprise Investment Scheme, Venture Capital Trusts and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme are worth a thought. EIS investments offer CGT deferral. With the reduction in most CGT rates, an election to carry back the EIS investment could reduce your tax bill on gains made during Capital Gains Tax (CGT) CGT is payable when, for instance, you sell a property or a valuable item, or gift it to a relative, and there has been an increase in the value of the asset. CGT rates on most gains are 10% for lower rate tax payers and 20% for higher rate tax payers. Gains from a residential property that does not qualify for principal private residence relief continue to be taxed at the pre April 2016 CGT rates of 18%/28%. Don t leave it too late to consider your CGT liabilities, especially if you are planning to sell investments made many years ago. It can be quite a shock to realise how large the CGT liability can be. The good news: CGT liabilities can be reduced by using the tax allowances to which you are entitled and by careful management of your CGT position throughout your life. More ways to reduce your tax bill Married couples and civil partners who are both basic rate tax payers and have not fully utilised their personal allowance can transfer 10% of the basic personal allowance to their other half. The wife / husband / partner receiving the transferred allowance will benefit from a tax reduction of 20% of the transferred amount. Scottish taxpayers will still be able to transfer 10% of their tax-free personal allowance to their spouse or civil partner. Assets can be passed between couples without any CGT liabilities. Transferring assets to joint names can also ensure that both spouses annual CGT exemptions are fully utilised in a sale. In the case of inheritance tax (IHT) any unused portion of the 325,000 Nil Rate Band (NRB) can be passed to the surviving partner on the death of the first spouse/civil partner. Like the NRB, the unused percentage of the Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB) can be transferred between spouses and civil partners. The RNRB works on top of the NRB allowing people to pass on a qualifying residential property to their direct descendants. The maximum RNRB is 125,000 this year, and by 2020, a couple will be able to combine their NRB and RNRB allowances to a pass on property worth 1 million free of IHT. The RNRB is reduced by 1 for every 2 the value of the net estate exceeds 2m. It is a complex area with qualifying conditions and requires expert estate planning advice. Ways to avoid higher rate of tax Reorganise your income producing assets to use up the lower tax band of your spouse, partner and/or family members. Key elements in CGT planning You can offset capital gains on successful investments with losses from investments that haven t worked out so well. Losses can also be carried forward to offset gains in future tax years. Ensure you use the Annual Exempt Amount (AEA). Currently capital gains of 11,700 or less for individuals are exempt from CGT. Making negligible value claims if HMRC agree that the shares you hold are of negligible value, the loss arising is treated as a realised loss and is available to set-off against gains. Transfers between a husband and wife can also reduce CGT liabilities. Rearrange your investments and savings and consider changing your assets from income producing to capital growth. Contributing to a pension is an opportunity for high earners to reduce your tax liability. Scottish tax payers who receive relief on their pension contributions at source will continue to receive relief of 20%, with no adjustment required for those taxed at a rate below 20%, and there will still be scope for those taxed at a higher rate to claim additional relief. There are some restrictions here, so do get in touch with us to discuss further. 4 / Tax Planning for Life Tax Planning for Life / 5

4 Family Family One of the simplest ways to legitimately reduce tax is to hold assets and divide income with your spouse and children (and grandchildren). Estate Planning If you don t want to give direct, you could consider a trust. With a little planning, you can transfer asset(s) into a trust with no CGT or IHT consequences and it also reduces your taxable estate. There are, however, some additional tax charges and costs related to trusts that may be applicable. If you are interested in setting up a trust, please get in touch with us. Gift-wrapped income You can gift a total of 3,000 per year which will be exempt from IHT. If you didn t make a gift of this kind in the previous tax year, the threshold rises to 6,000. A married couple doing this for the first time can combine their allowances and gift up to 12,000 to their children. To celebrate the marriage of your child, consider giving the happy couple a gift of up to 5,000, or up to 10,000 if from a couple, which will again be exempt from IHT. Grandparents can also gift the happy couple up to 2,500 ( 5,000 if from a couple) to reduce their IHT bill. Unlimited gift allowance: Gifts out of income If you are in a situation where you have an excess of income it would be prudent to make regular payments, for example, into a pension pot for your children and/or grandchildren, or to pay school fees. Under the normal expenditure out of income exemption this will reduce your IHT bill by the total value of the gifts each year. There are conditions that need to be satisfied to ensure the gift benefits from the exemption, including: The gift formed part of your normal expenditure. It was made out of income. You are not left in a situation where you don t have enough money available to maintain your normal standard of living. Think about testamentary gifts out of your estate to a Charity. This act of benevolence may reduce the amount of IHT payable on your estate, whilst benefitting your Charity of choice. For more ideas, see our Inheritance Tax and Family Tax Planning pages on maco.co.uk Gifting Assets Gifting income producing assets to the children, such as shares in the family business or an investment property, is also a good way of reducing the overall family income tax bill whilst at the same time conducting succession planning. Do take care to ensure there are no CGT or IHT liabilities. JISA & LISA Junior ISAs (JISAs) are a tax-efficient way to build up savings for a child. Contributions of up to 4,260 annually can be saved into a cash JISA or a stocks and shares JISA. Any adult under 40 is able to open a new Lifetime ISA (LISA) with a 25% annual bonus paid by the government on every 1 invested up to an annual contribution limit of 4,000. LISA Contributions can continue up to the age of 50 and funds can be withdrawn tax-free from age 60, or earlier for the purpose of buying a first home. If you are buying a home with someone else, you can both take advantage of separate Lifetime ISAs. Tax-free childcare The workplace childcare vouchers scheme will close to new entrants in October 2018 and will be replaced by the UK Government s tax-free childcare scheme which was introduced in April Tax-free childcare is available for all individuals, including the self-employed, for children under 12. For every 8 a parent pays into their childcare account, the UK Government will pay an extra 2. Workplace childcare vouchers were usually provided under a salary sacrifice arrangement, saving the employer 13.8% of NICs, with employees also benefiting from tax savings. No such tax advantages, however, apply to tax-free childcare. For every 8 a parent pays into their childcare account, the UK Government will pay an extra 2. 6 / Tax Planning for Life Tax Planning for Life / 7

5 Business Business There are numerous allowances and incentives to help businesses become more competitive. This section will help to make you aware of the main opportunities for minimising tax. Dividends The dividend tax allowance fell from 5,000 to 2,000 from April Any dividends you currently take in excess of the 2,000 dividend allowance will attract an income tax liability and could mean extra tax this tax year of up to 1,143 on dividend income. Many owner managed businesses (OMBs) will find themselves disadvantaged by this change. If you haven t already considered changing the way in which you balance your income and dividend payments, consider the following: Taxpayers will see a tax increase of 7.5% on dividend income received above 2,000 this year. Married couples and civil partners should make sure they spread their taxable portfolios between them, where possible, to ensure they fully utilise each of their dividend allowances, personal allowances and basic rate bands. Taxpayers will see a tax increase of 7.5% on dividend income received above 2,000 this year. This makes sheltering taxable investments in an ISA all the more important as unlimited dividends can be withdrawn from an ISA tax-free and there is no CGT to pay in an ISA. The current personal ISA allowance is 20,000. Before you decide what is best for you, get in touch with us and we ll help you look at the tax impacts on all the options available to you. Director s Loan Accounts These are a popular form of remuneration for OMB s. However, they can give rise to a benefit in kind in the hands of the Director and tax liabilities for the company. If proceeds are to be extracted in this manner, it is worth considering repaying the loan within 9 months of the end of the accounting period in which funds were withdrawn as this will ensure the company has no tax liability on the loan (currently 32.5%). Research + Development = Reward If your company has been engaged in research or process improvements, you should call us to check if the associated expenditure qualifies for Research & Development (R&D) Relief. Broadly speaking, SMEs can claim an additional 130% on qualifying (the definition is wider than you would probably think) R&D costs. The rewards available are an enhanced tax deduction or a cash payment from HMRC. The rate of tax credit for R&D expenditure for SMEs is 14.5%. Large companies can claim a R&D expenditure tax credit of 11% on qualifying expenditure up to 31 December 2017, which increased to 12% from 1 January Selling Assets Plan & Invest If you are thinking about selling a business asset and a gain is likely to accrue before you do, make sure you tax advantage the sale. For instance, tax due on an asset sale can be delayed by reinvesting the proceeds in another qualifying asset. If you sell your business you could, by reinvesting the proceeds in a qualifying trading venture, further reduce your tax bill on the sale. Capital Allowances (CAs) represent a valuable tax deduction for your business. They can be claimed on a wide variety of capital assets including plant, machinery, equipment, fixtures & fittings and vehicles. There are a range of allowances available, including the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), which offers a reduction in taxable profits of 100% of the allowable expenditure. The current AIA limit is 200,000. Investment above this limit will attract the usual 18% or 8% writing down allowances. Agricultural Property Relief (APR) Similar to BPR, APR is available for farm land or pastures, woodlands occupied with agricultural land, buildings used in connection with agriculture and, in some cases, farm cottages and houses. APR is complex, but in essence it is designed to prevent IHT forcing families to sell the main assets from which they draw income to pay the IHT bill. There are two rates available. If the conditions are not met for 100% relief, then 50% relief may apply. Entrepreneur s Relief (ER) When considering the possible sale of your business, Entrepreneur s Relief (ER) should be at the forefront of your mind. ER allows the seller to access a 10% rate on the entire qualifying proceeds, thus preserving up to 90% of the sale proceeds. Shareholders should also consider the advantage of transferring shares to a spouse/civil partner. Each person has a 10m lifetime limit for ER spreading shares between spouses can double the lifetime limit to 20m. As with many reliefs, there are a number of conditions to be satisfied. Share Options and Incentives Share options can be commercially and taxadvantageous, to both companies and individuals. Recent announcements from HMRC, however, may prevent the anticipated tax benefits from being available. If you have an existing scheme in place, or are thinking about implementing a new scheme, please speak to your usual MACO contact. Business Property Relief (BPR) If you meet the conditions, you can potentially remove the full value of a business sole trader, partnership, shares in private company from being subject to an IHT charge, either via lifetime gifts or on death. 8 / Tax Planning for Life Tax Planning for Life / 9

6 Business Business Thinking of selling or passing on the business? If you are planning to retire, or realise the value from your business, there are a number of options to be considered, including: Sale to another shareholder Company buy-back Ownership transfer within the family Employee buyout Management buyout Trade sale Flotation Close the business There are many tax, commercial and emotional intricacies and implications that will arise from each of these routes. We can provide you with our assessment on the options that are available to you and we will give you our view on the best route(s) depending on your objectives to ensure that your tax exposure is minimised and a good outcome is achieved. Succession planning is a must for all business owners as sooner or later everyone wants or needs to retire. Our advice: start the succession planning process early and give it the time that is needed, as opposed to the time that is left. Auto-Enrolment contributions increase Employers and employees are required to increase the amount of contributions into their auto-enrolment pension. From this April the minimum employer contribution will be 2% (rising to 3% from April 2019) and the employees minimum contribution from April this year will be 3% and 5% next year. So be sure to factor this in to you business expenditure projections for 2018 and Patent Box Company cars: time to review your fleet? Company car tax will rise for all but the highest emission vehicles from April The taxable cash equivalents will increase as follows: Cars with CO2 emissions of up to 50 g/km will see a 4% increase (from 9% to 13%). Cars with emissions between 51 g/km and 75 g/km will increase by 3% (from 13% to 16%). Charges for cars with CO2 emissions above 75 g/km will rise by 2%, subject to the current ceiling of 37% of list price for all vehicles. The diesel surcharge will increase by 1% to 4% for diesel cars that do not meet the RDE2 emission standard (which in 2018/19 means almost every diesel car on the road!). While the increases look small, the cumulative effect can be substantial. Are you travelling in the right vehicle? Are you trading through the most appropriate vehicle for your circumstances? Incorporation makes sense for some people but changes to dividend tax rules and NICs are changing the picture in some cases. Do you hold a patent? If so, you could reduce your tax bill. Profits from qualifying patent interests can be taxed at rates as low as 10% thus providing effective tax rate benefits. Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) investment doubles From April 2018, EIS offers 30% income tax relief on investments up to 2m, up from 1m, subject to at least 1m being invested in knowledge-intensive companies and no CGT is payable when the shares are sold. EIS also offers CGT deferral relief. Seed EIS is targeted at companies looking to raise funds in their first two years of trading. 50% income tax relief is available on investments of up to 100,000 and again no CGT is payable when the shares are sold. Conditions apply. Business Grants & Incentives Although not specifically a tax planning issue, there are a range of private and public sector grants available to businesses at all stages: pre-start, start-up, early stage and those looking to scale up to achieve their full potential. If you are creating jobs, safeguarding jobs, developing new products, services or processes then it is worth a conversation with us to find out if your project will qualify for any grants or incentives. Salary sacrifice schemes The tax and NIC advantage of these schemes was removed from April 2017, except for arrangements relating to pensions, childcare, cycle to work and ultra-low emission cars. Arrangements for cars, accommodation and school fees will be protected until Making Tax Digital (MTD) No business will be required to use MTD until April From that date, only those with turnover above the VAT threshold ( 85,000) will have to use MTD, and then only for VAT obligations. The scope of MTD will not be widened until the system has been shown to work well, and not before April 2020 at the earliest. Businesses, self-employed individuals and landlords within MTD will have to keep digital records and update HMRC quarterly. Investment in Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) An indirect investment in small companies enables the taxpayer investor to benefit from 30% Income Tax relief on investments of up to 200,000 with a CGT exemption on the sale of VCT units. Conditions apply. Save tax by doing good Tax breaks for social investment expanded fivefold from April last year. A social enterprise can now raise up to 1.5m over its lifetime from individual investors. There are a few qualification rules. The tax relief for the investor is 30% of the value of a qualifying investment. So, if you are thinking about lending a social enterprise 15,000 this year you may well qualify for a 4,500 reduction in your tax bill, as well as a potential capital gains tax deferral. Think you re safe from an investigation? Think again. HMRC raised a significant amount of revenue through investigations. Last year, HMRC raised a record 28.9bn from challenging accounts, tax returns and business records. It s not unusual for tax enquiries to last for well over a year and run up fees of thousands of pounds. Protect yourself against the cost of an investigation by getting in touch with us. NIC upper earnings limit increase The upper earnings limit (for employees) and upper profits limit (for the self-employed) will rise from 45,000 to 46,350 this year, matching the UK higher rate income tax threshold. Class 2 NICs, which were originally intended to end in April 2018, will survive for 2018/19 (at 2.95 a week) before disappearing in the next tax year. 10 / Tax Planning for Life Tax Planning for Life / 11

7 Property Property There have been a number of changes introduced recently, which provide another reminder that the tax benefits from property investments will not be as good in coming years. Moving home or purchasing a second home? Stamp Duty & Land Tax (SDLT) was replaced in Scotland by a new Land & Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) in There is no tax to pay on properties purchased by first time buyers in Scotland on the first 175,000. This threshold was raised from 145,000 for first time buyers only in April The maximum relief available is 600. First time buyers of residential property in England & Northern Ireland, will pay no SDLT on the first 300,000 of the purchase price, provided the property value doesn t exceed 500,000. In Wales, there is no Land Transaction Tax (LTT) due on the first 180,000. The applicable SDLT, LBTT and LTT rates and an additional 3% is due on the total price for relevant additional residential purchases over 40,000. See the Tax Rates 2018/19 on the back page for the applicable rates and bands: Scotland, England & NI and Wales. Reliefs extended The additional LBTT/SDLT on second homes and buy-to-lets may mean that exit routes in terms of selling unwanted rental properties could be restricted. Married couples, civil partners, parent & child, in fact any form of joint ownership will now be treated as single units, meaning that the higher rate will apply if just one of the co-owners already owns another property. The reliefs available from the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) and 15% rate of SDLT were extended from April 2016 to include equity release schemes, property development activities and properties occupied by employees. ATED annual charges increased by 3% from April Property Tax Relief One of the key attractions of investing in property, as opposed to other assets, is that the interest on borrowings to buy property is tax-deductible against the income generated. However, from April 2017 this became restricted. The outcome of this will be most keenly felt by some landlords who may well find they will move from being a basic rate tax payer to a higher rate tax payer. As landlords will not have to submit a tax return for the last tax year until January 2019, there is a risk that some will not have assessed how these changes will impact them. Landlords will no longer be able to deduct all of their finance costs e.g. mortgage interest from their property income. They will instead receive a basic rate reduction from their income tax liability for their finance costs. From this April, only 50% of the finance costs can be deducted and 50% will be given as a basic rate reduction. From April 2019 only 25% can be deducted and 75% given as a basic rate reduction, and from April 2020, all finance costs incurred by the landlord will be given as a basic rate tax reduction. Full relief continues to be available for companies, which, on the face of it, may make potential incorporation of property businesses more attractive. The corporation tax rate is broadly similar to the basic rate of income tax, but is scheduled to fall in the coming years. Residential investment property: should I hold personally or hold in a company? See next page for the key tax and financial considerations. As landlords will not have to submit a tax return for the last tax year until January 2019, there is a risk that some will not have assessed how these changes will impact them. Taxation of Profits & Gains Individuals continue to be taxed on the annual profit arising from the investment properties, at their marginal rate of tax (potentially 46% in Scotland). Companies, on the other hand, pay tax on profits and gains at 19% (reducing to 17% in 2020). Individuals only suffer income tax to the extent that the profits are extracted from the company. 12 / Tax Planning for Life Tax Planning for Life / 13

8 Property Property Income Taxed on profits arising at the marginal rate. Rent-a-room relief available (increased to 7,500). Relief available for the actual costs of replacing furniture and furnishings. Restriction on higher rate relief on finance costs. Phased in from 2017/18. Scottish tax payers will be subject to Scottish Rate of Income Tax (SRIT) on property income from 2017/18. New 1,000 tax free allowance for property income. Losses can be relieved against profits. Taxed on profits arising at main corporation tax rate. Losses can be relieved against profits. Full interest rate relief available at main rate of corporate tax. Cost of finance may be higher, and fewer products available. Incorporation Capital gains tax charge, unless Holdover Relief or Incorporation Relief available. Subject to LBTT / SDLT charge. Can existing finance be transferred into company? Residential Investment Property: Let s Compare Hold Personally or Hold In A Company? The tax and financial considerations following the introduction of the restriction of higher rate relief on finance costs. Succession Inheritance tax liability on market value of property. Beneficiaries receive property at market value, with no capital gains tax. Inheritance tax liability on market value of shareholding. Beneficiaries receive shares at market value, with no capital gains tax. No uplift of property value within company. Ownership Significant legal costs and implications to change title. Land & Buildings Transaction (LBTT) charge on acquisition. LBTT charged on market value if acquired by gift from connected person. Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) of 3% chargeable on additional residential properties. Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) & Land Transaction Tax (LTT) applies to property purchases in England/NI & Wales respectively. Disposals Subject to capital gains tax on disposal. Higher rate of 18% or 28% applies to the disposal of residential property. No tax charge on disposal of main private residence. Annual exemption may reduce chargeable gain. Taxed on gain arising at corporation tax rate. Indexation allowance is removed with effect from 1 January Potential 28% tax charge if residential property within ATED regime. Extraction of Funds Income tax charge to extent profits extracted from company. Salary or bonus subject to PAYE and NIC. Dividends taxed at 7.5%, 32.5% and 38.1%. Dividend allowance applies to first 2,000 of dividend income. Liquidation or winding up company may attract capital treatment. Dividend income not subject to SRIT. Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) No charge to ATED. Residential properties held in a company subject to ATED. Banded tax charges on values over 500,000. Potential for multiple shareholders. Potential to split shareholdings between family generations. Ongoing administration and compliance costs. LBTT tax charge on acquisition. LBTT charged on deemed market value if acquired by gift from a connected person. ADS of 3% chargeable on residential properties. SDLT & LTT applies to property purchases in England/NI & Wales respectively. 0.5% SDLT charge on share acquisition. 14 / Tax Planning for Life Tax Planning for Life / 15

9 Savings & Investments Savings & Investments Allowances Your Lifetime Allowance (LTA) effectively sets the maximum tax-efficient value of all your pension benefits. The current LTA is 1.03m and will be increased annually by the CPI rate at the beginning of each new tax year. Your Personal Annual Allowance effectively sets the maximum tax-efficient annual input to all your pension benefits, regardless of source. It started life in 2006 at 215,000, reached a maximum of 255,000 and is now just 40,000. From April 2016, a new Tapered Annual Allowance was introduced, which may affect you if your total income (not just earnings) exceeds 110,000. The taper will mean that your annual allowance could be as low as 10,000. Savers benefit from a Personal Savings Allowance which exempts the first 1,000 ( 500 for higher rate tax payers) of interest from income tax. If you ve flexibly accessed your defined contribution pension pot you may have triggered the Money Purchase Annual Allowance (MPAA). You can still make contributions to a pension and earn tax relief, but you will receive a lower annual allowance if you want to make further contributions. The MPAA was introduced in April 2015 and set at 10,000 gross per annum, which is the amount you, or your employer, are allowed to pay into a money purchase (DC) scheme. The MPAA has since been reduced to 4,000 which applies to contributions made from April Don t write off annuities Writing off annuities, as many have done, has maybe been a tad premature. Annuities provide income for life so if you plan to live to receive your birthday card from the Queen, you may want to have another look and, unlike those who have invested and suffered losses in the stock market, annuities don t fall in value. Thinking about setting up a trust? A trust is a legal arrangement which allows assets, usually property or money, to be looked after by a trustee for the good of one or more beneficiaries. By setting up a trust you can, provide for both you and your partner, whilst keeping the assets intact for the benefit of your children and protect the family home from being sold to pay for residential care fees. Trusts can also reduce your IHT bill by taking assets out of your estate. There are several types of trust to consider, but they do not suit everyone and there may be some additional tax charges associated with the trust, but they are worth a thought. Invest in ISAs Up to 20,000 may be paid into an ISA in and the earlier you use your allowance in the tax year the better returns you will make, as any investment returns you might make have longer to compound. Consider a SIPP as part of your succession planning Self-Invested Pension Plans (SIPPs) provide the benefit of tax free dividends. If you have retirement savings and do not require access to the pot until you are 55, there are significant tax benefits available to you. For instance, most people can invest up to 100% of earnings (effectively capped at 40,000 in this tax year) and receive tax relief. If you have retirement savings and do not require access to the pot until you are 55, there are significant tax benefits available to you. Reduce your Corporation Tax liability Company contributions to an employer pension scheme are tax deductible business expenses thereby reducing liability to corporation tax. Pensions for your family Consider making a net pension contribution of 3,600 gross per annum ( 240 net per month) for your grandchildren. Even if the contributions are only until they reach working age of 16, the fund (assuming 4% growth) would be worth around 80,000. Protect yourself against the unexpected You should never be without sufficient financial protection whether you re married or living with a partner, with family or without, or even single. That way should an event such as bereavement, serious illness, unemployment or incapacity occur, you ll at least have the comfort of knowing yourself and your loved ones are covered financially. Are you a key person? Business owners should also consider key person assurance and shareholder/ partnership protection. Don t leave your business s future health and prospects to chance, protect the business against unexpected events and risks. Corporate bonds The income from fixed interest funds and corporate bonds in many cases is subject to interest tax, not dividend tax. The first 1000 ( 500 for higher rate payers) of any interest received from e.g. bank accounts, corporate bonds will be income tax free, which provides an additional source of tax-free income. Combine your pension pots Disparate pension pots can be consolidated to purchase commercial property. 16 / Tax Planning for Life Tax Planning for Life / 17

10 Simply complete the relevant areas below and get in touch to arrange an appointment. Call us or Individuals & Couples Income tax Allowances & reliefs Capital gains tax (p4-5) Family Estate planning & Inheritance tax Tax-efficient investments Gifts (p6-7) UK Tax Rates Your Tax & Wealth Plan Financial and tax planning issues and ideas you wish to discuss with Martin Aitken s Tax & Financial Advisers. Business Directors remuneration Tax reliefs & incentives Selling or passing on the business Year-end planning Business grants (p8-11) Property Property tax relief Hold personally or incorporate? Moving home or purchasing a 2nd property (p12-15) Savings & Investments Allowances Pensions Investment ideas - Trusts Personal & corporate protection (p16-17) Any other personal/business financial and tax issues you wish to discuss 18 / Tax Planning for Life Tax Planning for Life / 19

11 / ca@maco.co.uk / / It is important to take professional advice before making any decision relating to your personal finances. This publication represents our understanding of law and HM Revenue and Customs and Revenue Scotland practice as at the date of publication. It does not provide individual tailored investment advice and is for guidance only. Some rules may vary in different parts of the UK; please ask for details. We cannot assume legal liability for any errors or omissions it might contain. Levels and bases of, and reliefs from taxation are those currently applying or proposed and are subject to change; their value depends on the individual circumstances of the investor. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. The past is not a guide to future performance and past performance may not necessarily be repeated. If you withdraw from an investment in the early years, you may not get back the full amount you invested. Changes in the rates of exchange may have an adverse effect on the value or price of an investment in sterling terms if it is denominated in a foreign currency. Martin Aitken Financial Services Ltd AUTHORISED AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY * Martin Aitken Financial Services Limited would like to confirm that Trusts, Wills, some Buy to Let mortgage products, general tax planning advice are not FCA regulated activities, nor is all estate planning. Martin & Aitken & Co Ltd ( provides audit, accounting, corporate & personal tax, business advisory services and financial advice and services to businesses, individuals and third sector organisations. Martin Aitken & Co is registered to carry on audit work and regulated for a range of investment business activities by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Martin Aitken & Co Ltd Publication Date: May 2018.